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Own a Piece of An Apple-Based Supercomputer
Graff writes "Now that Apple has come out with the Xserve G5, Virginia Tech has been swapping out parts of their 'System X' supercomputer for the more compact 1U Xserves. MacMall is selling some of those System X component G5 systems with an approximate $200 savings and an extra 512 megs of RAM over a normal G5. You can read more about it at MacCentral."
Why couldn't VT hold their horses? ...)
my bet is... they could.
no one likes building any cluster (not to mention a supercomputer) out of desktops, esp. ones configured like desktops (gfx, no ecc,
but apple really wanted the PR of having the computer cluster, and perhaps to list the revenue in 4Q2003.
so i can't blame them - looks like a fair deal.
So they can make money when people forget to send the form on time, or fill it in incorrectly.
Several companies in the UK do the same for extended warranties. They say "pay lots of money and if your machine doesn't break, we'll refund it after five years". You typically get 30 days after the five years to get your money back, and most people will just forget.
VT isn't the one selling these systems... Apple is. VT is tossing them back at Apple for shiny new Xserves. Apparently being the 3rd fastest computer in the world isn't good enough anymore.
8==8 Bones 8==8
Probably the only actual record the big mac can claim is the shortest time to obsolescence. Not to downplay the achievement though...
Well, it's the fastest supercomputer ever built with off-the-shelf components and the number three fastest machine on the planet -- and that's before the upgrade.
They will probably make quite a decent profit out of this, despite the $200 discount. They must have got pretty decent discount from apple for both bulk buying and promotion. And any self respecting geek will want one of these over a stock G5
As someone else pointed out, these are refurbished by Apple and then sold through MacMall. VT isn't selling them, but traded them back in to Apple for credit towards the Xserves.
Life is short: void the warranty.
Apple's online store is charging $2399 for refurbed dual G5s, and the student store's price for a new dual G5 is $2699, $100 less than the MacMall refurbs from Tech. You can even take $26 more off for getting rid of the internal mode, which the supercomputer refurbs don't have either.
Even if you add the extra 512 megs of RAM from Apple's site (where prices aren't the best), these Va Tech refurbs are only $100 less than what a student would spend on the same box new. Not to mention these 2 GHz duallies are rated as "Buy only if you need it - Approaching the end of a cycle" on the Macrumors buyers' guide page.
So not a deal at all if you're a student (though I have to think students at Va Tech could get the inside track on the boxes -- anyone know?) and not a great price for a refurb if you're Joe Schmoe. And not a box with great longevity, relatively speaking, either, if Macrumors has the lifecycle pegged.
Wait for a processor speed bump unless you're dying to own a little bit of celebrity.
It's all 0s and 1s. Or it's not.
Virginia Tech wanted Xserves in the first place. Apple didn't reveal them until January. Look at the benefits. Smaller case, less heat generated, less power consumed, error corecting code memory; all things which would be extemely useful in a supercomputer like this. From what I have read, the upgrade will use 25% less power and take up a third less space. If I were Tech, I would throw the current G5s back too.